Treatment of organic derivative of cellulose fabric



Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES TREATMENT OF ORGANIC DERIVATIVE OF CELLULOSE FABRIC Camille Dreyfus, New York, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application August 28, 1930 Serial No. 478,542

'7 Claims. (Cl. 8-20) This invention relates to the delustering or otherwise finishing of fabrics 01' garments containing yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose and relates-more particularly to the preliminary treatment of such fabrics whereby they may be finished while they are in rope form without showing streaks, crease marks and the like.

An object of my invention is to prepare fabrics and the like containing yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose whereby they may be delustered or otherwise finished while in rope form without the development of creases, streaks and like defects. Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detailed description.

I have found that if the fabrics or garments containing organic derivative of cellulose yarn to be delustered or finished are thoroughly wetted out in a preliminary treatment, they may be then delustered or otherwise finished while in rope form without developing creases or other distortions. This preliminary treatment renders available the economical method of delustering or 0therwise finishing of fabrics containing organic derivatives of cellulose in rope form. Furthermore in the case of ladies and mens hose, circular knit fabric and like material which of necessity are or become folded when dyed or finished, the preliminary treatment renders it possible to dye, delustre or otherwise finish such material without the development of creases and distortions heretofore encountered.

In accordance with my invention I subject fabrics or articles containing such fabrics containing yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose to a preliminary wetting out treatment and then subject the same while in rope form to a delustering treatment.

The fabric to be treated may be woven, circular knitted, warp knitted or netted. This invention is also applicable to the treatment of hose or other garments or articles made of or containing such fabric.

While this invention will be described specifically in connection with fabric containing yarns of cellulose acetate, it is also applicable to the treatment of fabrics containing yarns of other organic derivatives of cellulose such as organic esters of cellulose and cellulose ethers. Examples of such organic esters of cellulose are cellulose formate, cellulose propionate and cellulose butyrate, while examples of cellulose ethers are ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose.

In order to avoid the development of streaks or creases and like defects in the delustering, the fabric and the like is subjected to a treatment whereby it is thoroughly wetted out. For instance the fabric or garment containing the cellulose acetate yarn may be secured with a strong soap solution containing from 5 to 20 grams or more of soap such as olive oil soap per litre at a temperature from 60 to 80 C. or more for 2 to 24 hours, preferably from 2 to 12 hours. Other methods for thoroughly wetting out the material may be employed such as prolonged treatment with water or aqueous liquid containing penetrating, softening or swelling agents, such as a dispersion of xylene in Turkey red oil, for the cellulose acetate. The fabric may be subjected to the wetting out bath while suspended on strings, in hank form or in any other way.

After the preliminary thorough wetting out treatment, the fabric or garment may then be subjected to a delustering or other finishing treatment while in rope form. The term rope form as herein employed includes not only the meaning as ordinarily applied to the treatment of fabrics on a winch, but in any other form where the fabric or article is in a folded or creased condition.

This invention is of importance not only in the delustering of fabrics or garments but in other treatments such as partial saponification of the cellulose acetate material. Thus yarns containing acetone-soluble cellulose acetate become delustered when subjected to water or aqueous liquid at temperatures above 85 C. Often it is desirable to increase the safe ironing point of textile materials containing cellulose acetate and this may be done by subjecting the same to the action of an alkaline solution. Heretofore in the delustering of hosiery containing cellulose acetate yarn, distortions and streaks have occurred. By first thoroughly wetting out such hosiery in accordance with this invention, such distortions do not develop on subsequent delustering. Likewise in partial saponification of fabrics containing cellulose acetate yarn, uneven results have been obtained, whilst if such materials are first thoroughly wetted out, even saponification results.

The fabrics and garments may be subjected after the finishing treatment to any other desired treatment such as scouring, rinsing, drying, tentering, etc. The resulting fabrics or garments are free of creases and distortions.

In order further to illustrate my invention, but without being limited thereto, the following specific example is given.

' Example A crepe fabric consisting wholly of yarns made of filaments of an acetone-soluble cellulose acetate is hanked and then thoroughly wetted out by scouring for 2 hours in a bath containing 10 grams of soap per litre at a temperature of 80 C.

The fabric is then delustered by treating for 1 hour in a bath containing 1 gram of soap per litre at 89 C. and is then rinsed. Thereupon the fabric, is simultaneously dyed and partially saponified to increase its safe ironing temperature by treating in a 30:1 bath containing appropriate amounts of dyestuff and 4% of sodium hydroxide at C. for 1% to 1 hours. The fabric is then rinsed, hydroextracted, dried, treated on a button breaker and steamed. The fabric is free of creases, distortions or uneven dyeing effects.

It is to be understood that the foregoing example is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of delustering fabrics containing unsaponified yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose comprising thoroughly wetting out the fabric containing the unsaponified organic derivative of cellulose yarns by prolonged treatment with non-saponifying aqueous liquids and then subjecting the same while thoroughly wetted out to the action of a delustering agent.

2. The method of delustering fabrics containing unsaponified yarns of cellulose acetate comprising thoroughly wetting out the fabric containing the unsaponified cellulose acetate yarn by prolonged treatment with non-saponifying aqueous liquids and then subjecting the same While thoroughly wetted out to a delustering agent. j

3., The method of delustering fabrics containing unsaponified yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose comprising thoroughly wetting out the fabric containing the unsaponified organic derivative of cellulose yarn by prolonged treatment with a non-saponifying aqueous soap solution and then subjecting the same while thoroughly wetted out to a delustering agent.

4. The method of delustering fabrics containing unsaponified yarns of cellulose acetate comprising thoroughly wetting out the fabric containing the unsaponified cellulose acetate yarn by prolonged treatment with a nonsaponifying aqueous soap solution and then subjecting the same while thoroughly wetted out to a delustering agent.

5. The method of subduing the lustre of fabrics containing unsaponified yarns of organic derivatives of cellulose comprising thoroughly wetting out the fabrics containing the unsaponified organic derivative of cellulose yarn by prolonged treatment with a nonsaponifying aqueous liquid at elevated temperatures for a period of time exceeding two hours, and then subjecting the same while thoroughly wetted out to a delustering agent.

6. The method of subduing the lustre of fabrics containing yarns of cellulose acetate comprising thoroughly wetting out the fabrics containing the unsaponified cellulose acetate yarn by prolonged treatment with a nonsaponifying aqueous liquid at elevated temperatures for a period of time exceeding two hours, and then subjecting the same while thoroughly wetted out to a d-' lustering agent.

7. The method of delustering and partially saponifying fabrics yarns of cellulose acetate comprising thoroughly wetting out the fabric containing the unsaponified cellulose acetate yarn by prolonged treatment with a nonsaponifying aqueous soap solution, subjecting the same to a delustering agent and then partially saponifying.

CAlVIII 'LE DREYFUS.

containing unsaponified 

